Boats Most Commented

One of Schmidt’s last acts before selling the company a couple years back was to introduce the Varianta 44, which has now been followed by the 37—a pair of no-frills cruisers based on a couple of older Hanse hulls and priced to attract buyers who would otherwise be looking at smaller

Three new designs—including a couple of cruising cats and a red-hot trimaran with minimal accommodations and speed to burn—provide even more evidence that the multihull world is the place to be in terms of innovation.

One of the joys of living in the Pacific Northwest is that you can sail year-round—provided, of course, that you’ve got the right boat. As I approached the Hanse 575 Crescent Wave at Port Sidney Marina in Sidney, British Columbia, I noticed three things

French builder Lagoon Catamarans has finalized plans for this 62-footer and intends to launch the first one next year. The VPLP design team headed by well-known designers Marc Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prevost has given the yacht solid performance hulls and has drawn three layouts that range from four to six cabins; each cabin has a separate head and shower.

The Dutch builder Bloesma van Breemen has finished plating up this 134-foot aluminum high-performance cruising sloop from the board of Ed Dubois. Dubois has altered the customary deckhouse he has used on many yachts this size and has given this new yacht a low profile. The yacht has a relatively wide beam of just under 30 feet and a draft of 131/2 feet. Dubois has also specified belowdeck captive FULL STORY

Designed by Rob Humphreys, this latest model from Elan follows the general design parameters he’s established with smaller Elan models. These include an open cockpit, belowdeck sheeting lines, and a double-ended mainsheet-sheeting system. The yacht has a long waterline and a well-shaped hull; the standard three-cabin layout features the owner’s stateroom, with head and separate shower, forward FULL STORY

The headquarters of Dufour Yachts, one of France’s largest production-boat builders, lies just a few miles inland from La Rochelle, an ancient port on the country’s Atlantic coast. More than 40 years have passed since founder Michel Dufour built his first production boat, Sylphe, and his 30-foot cruiser/racer,

Big daysailers that are attractive, quick, and easy to sail continue to gain in popularity for a simple reason—the design concept fits a growing number of owners (and prospective owners). The folks at Sabre understand this, and the 36-foot Sabre Spirit is a worthy entry into this ever-expanding field. Most of my test sail took place during a friendly race staged off Marblehead, Massachusetts. I FULL STORY